So she raised her glass again, her expression warm, and felt Xandros’s hand on her shoulder warm upon her, cherishing and loving. How blessed she was to have so much!
Oh, Mum, you’re the only one I miss who should be here—but you will be in my heart always, and in my memories. And if my baby is a girl I will give her your name—and all the love you gave to me.
Then her gaze went to her husband’s once again, her heart overflowing as their eyes wound into each other’s. Unconsciously her hand slipped to her stomach, fingers splaying in a protective gesture.
A little gasp came from her half-sister. Ariadne’s eyes widened.
‘Rosalie! Can it be...? I know that gesture! Are you...?’ Her voice was breathless, excited.
Rosalie gave a helpless laugh, exchanging a rueful glance with Xandros. So much for secrecy!
Her mother-in-law had gone very still, her champagne flute poised halfway to her mouth, eyes only on Rosalie, bright with eager hope.
‘Shall we?’ Xandros asked of Rosalie, with resigned humour in his voice.
She gave a nod. Too late now for prevarication.
Xandros duly raised his glass again. ‘I think,’ he said, taking a breath, ‘we have another toast to make... To the next Lakaris!’
There was a cry of delight from her mother-in-law, of excited glee from Ariadne, and then Xandros’s smiling mouth was swooping down on hers in celebration, in joy, and in endless love.
As it always would be between them.
For all time. And way beyond.
* * *
If you fell in love with The Greek’s Penniless Cinderella you’re sure to adore these other stories by Julia James!
Heiress’s Pregnancy Scandal
Billionaire’s Mediterranean Proposal
Irresistible Bargain with the Greek
The Greek’s Duty-Bound Royal Bride
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Secrets Made in Paradise by Natalie Anderson.
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Secrets Made in Paradise
by Natalie Anderson
CHAPTER ONE
JAVIER TORRES IGNORED the paperwork strewn across his lap and gazed out of the tinted window of the SUV, absently watching his driver walk into the small store to stock up on refreshments. It was late afternoon, the weather was glorious, and he ought to feel like a king. He was back on the threshold of paradise—Santa Cruz, the most populated of the Galapagos islands and arguably one of the planet’s most isolated and fascinating places. He was here to oversee the start of the hotel rebuild he’d recently invested in. Yet instead of feeling satisfied, he was distracted by an uneasy, prickling sensation. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the recollection of the last time he’d been here. More precisely, the redhead he’d ravished. There really wasn’t any other word for what had transpired between them. But she’d ravished him right back—with such rare intensity that she’d haunted his dreams every night of the eighteen months since.
It wasn’t as if he’d never had a one-night stand before. It was pretty much all he had. She hadn’t though. A wisp of wicked amusement flickered through him as he remembered there’d been a number of firsts for her that night. She’d been travelling, all the way from Australia, and who knew where in the world she was now? Certainly not Javier. She’d not been there when he’d woken the next morning and he’d had to return to mainland Ecuador that evening in time to catch his flight home to New York.